


The Year That Never Was

by Mlr96



Series: The Two Doctors [13]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Doctor Who
Genre: Character Death, Episode: s03e13 Last of the Time Lords, Non-Consensual Drug Use, The Year That Never Was (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:20:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18620521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mlr96/pseuds/Mlr96
Summary: Thirteenth in The Two Doctors series about Dr. Spencer Reid, a genius, an FBI Agent, a profiler and a Time Lord.Story #13, Parts 1-10:The Year That Never Was wasn't easy on the members of the BAU team. For Spencer, trapped upon the Valliant... it was worse.





	1. The Master

**Author's Note:**

> Been a while, hasn't it?
> 
> I present to you, in ten chapters, the Year That Never Was.

If the Master had to use a single word to describe how he felt once the Toclafane's initial attack ended, it would be elation.

He was, as of now, the undisputed ruler of Earth. Most of the governments of the world backed away once he threatened attacking their civilians with the metal monsters again and those who didn't… well, let's just say that he didn't actually need to attack the civilians. It was much simpler to just rid himself of those rulers – especially since any capable human had to be taken to the work camps.

It wouldn't do any good for him to kill all of his work power, would it?

His plan had been flawless. There were ever only two people capable of stopping him, and he managed to take them down before the fun began.

The Professor – or Spencer, as he liked to be called nowadays and honestly, didn't that human name made the Master want to vomit – was, of course, under his control. The threat of Dilaudid, along with the occasional administration of the drug made sure of that. It didn't stop him completely – he still demanded to regularly check up on the Doctor, the Freak and the Jones family. And, no matter the regeneration, the Master never could say no to those eyes.

But, all in all, the Professor was hopeless in the face of the Master's reign. And, oh, didn't the Master just  _love_  it.

The other with the ability to stop him was, of course, the Doctor. That was one thought that made the Master laugh. The Doctor was now trapped in an old man's body, completely at the Master's mercy. Weak as he was, he couldn't do anything to stop him – he could barely use the facilities without assistance.

Even the fact that the girl – Martha – had escaped his ship didn't ruin his mood.

Let her think she got away. He'll catch her, eventually, it was only a matter of time. And besides, she's only human. What could she possibly do?

At least, so he thought until word started traveling up to the Valliant.

Resistance groups forming all around the world. Previous companions of the Doctor's, UNIT, the Freak's Torchwood team – those who remained alive after the initial attack, at least. There were others, more organized groups as well, though they were still trying to wrap their heads around the concept of aliens. Interpol, Mossad, MI5, MI6, the CIA, the FBI and the likes.

And, of course, Spencer's team.

These groups were hiding in shelters, killing his soldiers and recruiting others to the cause. He sent the Toclafane after them once or twice, and though he managed to off some of the higher ranks, they were still stronger than he wanted them to be.

His patience was waning by the day and he was slowly regretting his decision to keep Spencer's team alive – especially when the other Time Lord showed no true appreciation for it. When the Master showed him the results of the initial attack, all he could do was focus on that idiot who abandoned him.

"You killed him," Spencer whispered, looking at a picture of Jason Gideon's dead body. "You… you killed him."

"Of course I did," the Master replied, not understanding why Spencer wasn't as thrilled with his actions as he was. "I know how much he hurt you. I had to do something about it, so I did. For  _you_."

"If you think I'll ever want you to kill for me, you know me even less than I thought you did,  _Koschie_."

That was another thing that irked the Master – Spencer's compete refusal to refer to him by his chosen title. He used 'Koschie', mostly, though 'Saxon' was still occasionally in use.

Didn't he understand? Couldn't he see? Oh, how the Master wanted  _him_  to rule at his side, rather than the dim-witted human he now called "Wife". But the Professor was too blinded by his care for the Doctor – and, worse,  _humanity_.

But, regardless of Spencer's behavior, the Master still ruled the Earth. And, however much he tried to let things slide when it came to his ex-lover, there were limits he couldn't let his prisoners cross.

A dozen guards had died in the first escape attempt the Doctor's companions had attempted. The Jones family hadn't killed them, of course – no, they were by far too soft-hearted for such likes. They only followed where Spencer and the Freak led them, grateful to finally being given a chance to escape the Master's hold.

That was their first mistake.

The punishment was public, filmed and played live on every television on Earth. The Freak was killed eight times – once for every guard he had killed – but the Master's plans for Spencer were different.

It wasn't hard for him to find the man he was looking for, but even the small effort he put into it was justified when he saw the look on Spencer's face as the guards carried the new prisoner into the room, bound and gagged.

"No," Spencer whispered, trying to fight the guards that held him, but to no avail. "No, Master, please…"

The man – Ethan, if the Master remembered correctly – was thrown at the ground between them unceremoniously. The Master paid him no mind, focusing on Spencer instead.

"I told you, your actions have consequences," he said, moving to stand in front of the other Time Lord. "He's the one to pay for yours this time… I'm sure I could find someone else if you'd think of having a second."

"He didn't do anything."

If it were anyone else in the universe, the pain in Spencer's voice would have been enough to make them back away. It was a last, desperate plea towards the Master to let one of his only human friends go and punish him instead. But the Master wasn't like anyone else in the universe, and Spencer's plea fell on deaf ears. Neither of them looked at Ethan, only at each other as Spencer silently begged and the Master enjoyed his obvious victory.

Finally, after all those weeks, an actual  _response_  that wasn't hissed towards him.  _Now_ , he had Spencer right where he wanted.

At his mercy.

"No," he agreed with a sigh. "He didn't. Shoot him."

" _No!_ "

The gunshot echoed in the small, enclosed space, making several people jump, but the Master didn't as much as flinch.

"These are the consequences to your actions," he said simply, barely taking note of the tears that streamed out of Spencer's eyes. "Take them away. And have someone clean out this mess," he added as an afterthought, keeping his eyes on Spencer as the guards dragged him and the other prisoners out of the room.

If only they understood, things would be that much simpler. This was his kingdom. They all lived by his rules. And if they didn't, well…

There would be a price to pay.


	2. JJ

When the Toclafane first attacked, everything was thrown into chaos. People were screaming, crying, death was everywhere. JJ had no idea how the team managed to stick together or how they all survived, when so many others were dead, but she was grateful for that small mercy.

Only later did she realize the implications of that.

After an hour, the chaos finally faded, even if not by much. There were still dozens of bodies around them, and probably even more in the streets, but the Toclafane stopped attacking and instead were simply hovering around or flying from one place to another.

Morgan helped her stand up, and she put a protective hand over her stomach.

"Phone signal is still up," Hotch said, and JJ could understand the urgency in his voice, as well as the things left unsaid.

He was fighting the urge to immediately call Haley and Jack and make sure they were alright and well, just as she was fighting the urge to call Will. Just as Morgan, Garcia and even Rossi were fighting the urge to call their families.

Only Emily didn't seem to be searching for a phone in her immediate vicinity.

"Of course they are," she said. "Saxon was the one who founded Archangel, he obviously needs it for something."

"Who is this guy?" Morgan asked.

"What does he want from Spencer?" JJ found herself adding.

She didn't think she was going to get an answer until Emily sighed, obviously knowing more than she was letting on. What could she possibly know that the rest of them didn't?

"Let's find somewhere safe," she said. "We'll be able to talk there."

"Safe?" Rossi asked. "You heard what Saxon told these aliens to do. A tenth of the planet's population is dead, Emily. I don't think anywhere is safe."

"Well, there's a fair chance they'll be coming after us regardless, so forgive me for not wanting to stay here like sitting ducks," Emily snapped, making Garcia whimper.

"Could you… could you guys not fight, please?" she asked in a small voice. "Everyone… so much has happened already, please don't fight."

Emily sighed again, the fight seeming to fade from her, leaving her exhausted.

"Let's go," she said. "I know a place, not far from here… I'll explain everything there."

The place Emily knew turned out to be a small, abandoned pub, and Emily didn't hesitate in going over and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. She was the only one who didn't pull out her phone yet, and while Rossi, Garcia and Hotch were able to get to their families, JJ and Morgan kept getting sent to voicemail.

She was trying very hard not to think of the worst case scenario, but with the screams still ringing in her ears it was getting harder by the minute.

"So," Hotch said, taking his place as team leader once more, "what's going on? Who is this Saxon guy? And what's his connection to Spencer?"

"It's a long story," Emily said, pouring herself a glass, "and I don't know most of it, but… I'll try to explain what I do know."

In the few hours that followed, everything JJ thought she knew came crashing down on her. Emily explained, to the best of her ability, everything she knew about the Master – Saxon's real name – the Doctor, and their connection to Spencer.

To find out that one of their own was an alien was nothing in comparison to finding out the Master had held him captive for so long, and had used them as a means to control him.

"He knows everything there is to know about us," Emily explained. "He knows where we live, he knows about our families. He… he had my mother."

"Had?" Rossi repeated.

"Every political figure who could have threatened him is now dead," Emily said simply. "I'm not delusional enough as to assume my mom is still alive. Not when he knows I know who he truly is."

"How do you know?" Garcia asked, and JJ found herself unable to look at her friend.

She and Emily were not so close, and though the sting of betrayal at learning everything the woman hid from them was strong, it was nothing in comparison to finding out her best friend knew that Spencer was actually a Time Travelling alien and said nothing.

"He called me, a couple of nights ago," Emily replied. "Told me almost everything, and the Master told me the rest when he caught us talking."

"He punished Spencer for it," Morgan all but growled, and Emily nodded.

JJ's blood chilled as she remembered seeing Spencer barefoot upon the Valliant. What had he done to him?

She didn't realize she asked the question aloud until she saw everyone turning to look at her.

"I don't know," Emily replied. "And, with what I know about the Master… honestly, I'm scared to find out."

The honesty in Emily's voice scared JJ more than the words themselves.

Over the next few weeks, the team of profilers had learned to find their place in this post-apocalyptic world they were suddenly thrown into. They learned how to move without being seen, how to avoid the Toclafane by appearing non-suspicious. Coming to work together with the other undercover groups, JJ couldn't help but take in any new face in the hope to see a familiar one.

She never did manage to get a hold of Will, nor of any of his friends from the police force. Deep down, she knew the meaning of this, but couldn't bring herself to admit it.

Having her water brake nearly two months before her due date didn't help matters, either.

"Aaaargh!" she called out in the abandoned warehouse they were hiding in. She knew she had to stay quiet, keep her voice low, but it was easier said than done when giving birth without painkillers on the back of a dirty building. "I can't," she whispered once the pain passed somewhat. "I can't do it, I can't…"

"Yes, you can," Garcia insisted, tears streaming from her eyes. "You can do it, JJ. After… after everything, it's gonna take more than this to take you down, right?" JJ nodded in a lie the woman in front of her saw clearly through. "Okay, one more time, JJ, okay? I just need you to push."

"I can't…"

"Yes, you can. Push!"

JJ screamed again as she pushed, harder than ever before, and her tears of pain turned to ones of relief at the sound of a crying baby. She smiled weakly, reaching out a shaking hand forwards and stroking the cheek of her newborn son once before turning to Garcia.

"Go," she said. "Take him and go."

"No," Garcia shook her head immediately. "No, I'm not leaving you –"

"You have to," JJ insisted. "If you do, then the two of you might still have a chance."

"You have a chance, too!"

"No, I don't."

It was a tough realization, but JJ knew it to be true. If she were at a hospital, maybe, but the complications of the early labors combined with their lack of any medical personnel had signed her death warrant hours ago. If Garcia ran away now, she'll be able to make it, but JJ was past saving.

"The Toclafane are on their way," she said. "You know they heard me. I won't be able to outrun them, and I'll only slow you down."

"JJ…"

"Go!" JJ called out, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please, you have to keep him safe… please…"

Garcia nodded as she slowly stood up, readjusting her hold of the baby before turning to JJ.

"You were… the best female friend that I had ever had," she said.

"You were mine," JJ replied.

Garcia's face twitched, and JJ could see the way she fought the need to crumble into tears. It was only the child in her arms that stopped her from collapsing.

"What's his name?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Henry," JJ replied, thinking back to the names she and Will started throwing in the air, back before this hell began.

Garcia nodded one last time and took off out of the building, holding Henry close to her chest. JJ sighed, leaning her head back against the stone wall. Briefly, she wondered if the pain will stop when she'll die. If she'll see Rosaline and her father again.

If she'll see Will.

"Henry LaMontague," she whispered, slowly closing her eyes.


	3. Hotch

If he were completely honest with himself, Hotch knew the day has been coming for a while.

He could see the way Garcia was working herself to death, trying to keep up her work for the Resistance while parenting a month old baby. He could see the way Morgan and Prentiss were aching to do more against the Master, eager to avenge their families. He heard Rossi talking to the daughter he only recently found out he had, and longing to see her with his own eyes.

His needs were much simpler, and slightly more manageable despite the situation they were in.

He had found Haley and Jack not even a week after the First Attack, and kept them close by since. His relationship with his ex-wife wasn't perfect by a long shot, but circumstances brought them together again and they were starting to mend the pieces.

They couldn't do it properly while being constantly on the run, though. The realization of what had to be done had been building for a good couple of weeks before he brought it up, and though the remains of his team protested at first, they knew he was right.

Which was why now, a day after the decision had been made, they were standing at a metaphorical and literal crossroad.

It was decided that Rossi would head downstate to where his daughter was living in order to find her and discover all that had been kept from him by his second ex-wife. Though the old Profiler was clearly sad to leave them, he also knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with them for much longer. He wasn't as young as he used to be, after all, and though he kept in shape it was nothing compared to what they needed at this moment in time.

Garcia, Prentiss and Morgan would head up towards New York, where the base of operations for the Resistance was. There, they would be able to combine resources with everyone else that were actively – if quietly – working against the Master.

Hotch and Haley decided to take the kids and head towards the countryside, in the hopes of allowing them to meet with other children without as much of a risk of the adults being caught. Garcia argued fiercely at first, not wanting to let go of Henry, but with a combined effort the five of them managed to show her it was necessary.

After all, she didn't know the first thing about caring for a child and was working herself out trying to learn what was now demanded of her while doing what was needed to fight the Master.

Hotch had to fight to keep a straight face, looking at the people who had become his family more than anyone else and preparing himself to turn a different way than them.

They stood silently for several long moments, none of them daring to speak in fear of a last goodbye, before he managed to find the strength to speak.

"I wanted to say…" He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "Working with you had been an honor… and a privilege."

"Stay in touch, if you can," Rossi said, his voice just on the edge of cracking. "You have my number, and it will probably be safer for us than…"

He trailed off, but Hotch knew what he was going to say. It would be safer for them than it would be for the others, since they were not going to actively work against the Master.

"Stay safe, will you?" Garcia asked. "All of you."

"You, too," Hotch replied, looking at her, then at Morgan and Garcia. "Keep each other safe."

"We will," Morgan promised, and it was the most honest promise Hotch had ever heard.

It took them two weeks to get to the small town that was their destination. Upon arrival, they were greeted with the expected amount of suspicion as they made their way towards the makeshift infirmary, requesting to see a Dr. Grace Holloway.

"You asked for me?" the woman asked close to two hours after their arrival, when she was finally available. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Being the only doctor in a place like this…" she shrugged. "Are any of you in need of medical treatment?"

"No," Hotch replied. "Maybe a few check-ups for the kids, but… nothing more. We got your name from the Resistance," he started, only causing Grace's eyes to widen.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," she quickly said. "I- I told you guys last time you asked that I didn't have any contact with the Doctor – or the Professor – in years. I know the fight is important – trust me, I know – but I've got too much to lose to risk it."

"We're not here to recruit you," Haley was quick to calm Grace down. "Actually… we're much in the same situation."

"The Professor is a friend of mine," Hotch said, hating the way Spencer's title sounded coming out of his mouth. "We… we were also targeted, and decided to step back in order to keep the kids safe. The Resistance recommended coming here because you try to keep things simple and detached from everything that is going on out there."

Grace nodded, letting his words sink in for a moment before speaking again.

"It's just…" she sighed. "Have you ever met the Doctor?"

"Briefly." As if working a serial killer and abductor case could be considered as 'briefly'. "It's the Professor I'm more familiar with… and I never heard of the Master until a few months ago."

"He's amazing." Grace spoke the words as though she couldn't help herself. "The Doctor, that is. He… he had a different face back then, and he changed it that first night we met and at least once more since, but I… I'd recognize him anywhere. He makes you want to be better," she explained. "And when you see him with the Professor, see how close they are… you want to be as close to them as they are to each other." She shook her head, as though returning to the world the rest of them were on. "But that was quite some time ago. I moved on, since. Left San Francisco. Started a family. I'll make sure you're safe here," she told them. "People will probably be a bit suspicious at first, but…"

"We understand," Haley told her. "The world's not exactly safe right now and people are trying to keep their families together."

"Yeah," Grace smiled softly, relieved at their understanding. "I'll be back in a minute with a nurse to take a look at the kids."

"Dr. Holloway?" Hotch couldn't help but call out as she was making her way out.

"Yes?"

"What about the Master?" He didn't think he imagined the way Haley froze at his side or the way Grace's eyes darted around before settling back on him. "Have you met him?"

"I… I have," Grace replied, swallowing hard. "Not for long, though. He's…" she hesitated briefly. "He's not exactly what you'd call stable. And he's hell-bent on complete domination of the universe. But if anyone can stop him, it's the Doctor and the Professor."

Hotch nodded, deciding it best not to mention that both the Doctor and Spencer were currently the Master's prisoners.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "And… thanks."

"No problem," Grace replied. "I'll be back in a bit."

This time, Hotch said nothing as she walked out of the room, returning a couple of minutes later with a nurse at her heels. He looked at she examined the kids, and couldn't help but envy her optimistic belief that somehow, the Doctor will sort everything out.

He wished he could be that hopeful, too.


	4. Rossi

When David Rossi first heard rumors of the woman who walks the Earth, he didn't pay them much attention. He had already heard of several people who had attempted to act up against the Master, all of them captured and executed by the Toclafane. There was little doubt in his mind that Martha Jones would be just another one in a list far too long.

Which was why he was more than a bit surprised six months after the Master's take over, when she seemed to still be alive and kicking.

He had heard that she walked most of Europe and all of Africa, in search of a weapon that would be able to kill the Master. He didn't believe them to be realistic until he met the woman himself.

She arrived in the dead of night, just a few weeks after Dave met Joy for the first time. Nobody was sure exactly where she came from, only that they woke up one morning to see her walking from one shelter to the other, careful to avoid the patrolling Toclafane.

She moved through half the town in a day, arriving to the shelter where Rossi was staying, along with Joy and her husband, just as night began to fall. He didn't purposely seek her out, nor had he met her before, but she clearly knew of him.

The moment her eyes spied his frame leaning against the door she made her way through the crowd that surrounded her and came to a stop before him.

"You're Rossi, right?" she asked. "David Rossi?"

"I am," he said, more than a bit surprised that she not only knew his name but managed to match it with his face. He wouldn't be lying if he said he was more than a bit suspicious of that fact. "Can I help you with anything, Miss Jones?"

"Please, just call me Martha," she said. "I've heard about you, from Spencer."

Rossi was grateful that she used his co-worker's name, rather than the odd title that seemed so disconnected to the man he started to consider a friend.

"Did you?" he asked. "I'm afraid I didn't hear much about you."

"I didn't expect you to," Martha said, clearly taking no offense. "He was very intent on keeping his life as the Professor in his past, along with everything that followed it."

She didn't need to specify what she meant by that. It was clear that she was talking about Spencer's home planet – as odd as that expression would always seem to be for Rossi – and about his old friends and their adventures together. Which seemed to include the Doctor, the Master, and the existence of Time Travel.

"Do you have any contact aboard the Valiant?" he asked, not wanting to stay on that subject for any longer than he absolutely had to.

"Not anymore," Martha sighed. "Our spy was found by the Master's guards a couple of weeks ago." She didn't say what happened to him, but Rossi didn't have a hard time guessing. The Master was pretty straightforward about what happened to those who opposed him. "He did manage to send us an update the day before he was caught, so our intel is fairly updated."

"Do you have news about Reid?" Rossi asked, forgoing the formalities and cutting down to the chase.

In the past six months, they'd not heard a word of what was happening to the seventh member of the team. Was he injured? Was he tortured? Did the Master's obsession with him went as far as to ensure his safety, or did it only make matters worse?

"Martha?" he pressed when he received no answer. "Is he okay?"

"Physically or mentally?"

"Both."

Martha sighed. "Our contact couldn't get much about him," she said. "The Master seems to be keeping him as isolated as possible, though he is allowed regular meetings with the Doctor. Not with Jack, though, since the two of them attempted a rebellion together."

"So you don't know how he is?"

"I didn't say that," Martha replied. "Physically, he seems to be pretty much alright, most of the time. The Master never physically hurts him – not like he hurts the other prisoners, at least." As she said that, Martha's expression darkened, and Rossi couldn't help but remember the rumors that her own family was also upon the Valiant. "But the Master's been keeping him on a tight leash. He's not allowed to go anywhere without escort from the Master, Lucy or one of the guards. When he's meeting with the Doctor, they have to speak loud enough to be heard, or they'll be separated. And there's something more." Rossi didn't think he imagined the unease in her eyes when she spoke next, "The Master has been keeping him under control using some sort of drug. I don't know which, but it seems like Spencer spends most of his time under the influences."

"Dilaudid, more than likely," Rossi muttered, remembering the stories the rest of the team had told him of the first time they met the Doctor, when Reid had been kidnapped by an Unsub, and the abuse the profiler had gone through in the time before they got to him. "He had already gone through addiction and rehab for it."

"Then it does seem more than likely," Martha nodded. "At this point, I highly doubt that there's a part of Spencer's human life that the Master isn't aware of." Someone behind her cleared their throat and Martha jumped, only just realizing how long the two of them had been talking. "I need to –" she started, an apologetic tone to her voice.

"I understand," Rossi said. "Do what you have to do. Just… one more thing. Are you really…" He glanced around, making sure there was nobody other than Joy who could hear them. "Are you really going to kill the Master?"

At that, Martha almost frowned. "Do you want me to?" she asked in lieu of answering. "Do you want him dead?"

For the first time since Martha walked through the door, Rossi had to properly think his response through before saying it aloud.

"I want him somewhere where he can't hurt anybody," he finally settled. "So far, it seems as though he won't stop for as long as he lives. But killing is always the last option one should approach, and if you know of a different way to stop him then I'm all ears."

Martha nodded, seeming to take in his response before she spoke again.

"I was a medical student, when I first met the Doctor," she said. "I was just on my internship when the hospital I worked at was abducted by aliens."

As she spoke, Rossi got the feeling that not many people took into consideration what it would mean for her to take another person's life, evil as they may be. He knew from experience that it was easier said than done, and that the nightmares would stay with you for a long time later.

"But I took an oath," she went on, a fire burning in her eyes that hadn't been there just moments before. "Do no harm."

Rossi nodded, reaching out a hand for her to shake.

"It was an honor meeting you, even if the circumstances are less than ideal," he told her. "And… thank you for telling me."

"Of course," Martha smiled softly. "Like I said, Spencer told me about you. Anyone he keeps at that high regard has got to be someone good, in my books."

Thinking about what Spencer's opinion of Martha might be, and at what regard he was sure to keep the woman, Rossi couldn't help but agree.


	5. Garcia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update today because I didn't update yesterday :-)

The moment Garcia saw the legendary Martha Jones, she knew the woman was bad news.

She couldn't quite explain it when she talked to Derek about it. She knew Martha was fighting the Master under the Doctor's orders, knew that she was the effective leader of the Resistance, knew that after all he's done to her family, there was no one on Earth who was more determined to take the Master down. But she also knew that she wanted to keep her family as far away from her as possible.

_Maybe that was it,_  she thought.

Martha would do anything to take the Master down. The rumors of the gun she was collecting from the four corners of the Earth were not lost on them. Martha was preparing to kill the Master – and if Garcia learned one thing from her job, it was that there's a type of Unsubs who wouldn't go down without taking as many people as possible with them.

She had little doubt in mind that even though the Master wasn't one of their Unsubs, he fit this description perfectly.

He won't go down without one hell of a fight, and she had to keep her family safe when it happened.

Things never could be quite so simple, though, and with Spencer aboard the Valiant and with Martha being the only one who had a chance at saving him, Garcia had to stick close to her.

As much as she didn't want to.

At first glance, though, Martha seemed like any ordinary woman. Confident and determined, for sure, but most who would look at the doctor-in-training would probably not spare her a second chance, much less believe she'd be able to take down a psychopathic alien.

The second glance was the one that revealed it all.

The lines of worry etched around her eyes, the way her shoulders fell, ever so slightly, when she thought no one was looking, the tensing of her muscles whenever the Valliant was mentioned… Martha Jones was a woman who was, quite literally, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders – as well as any and all hope of saving it.

That sort of thing took a toll on a person.

"Hey," Martha said when she first arrived at the Resistance stronghold that was their home for the past months. "You're Spencer's team, right? I met David downstate, he said you lot are here."

"Yes," Prentiss replied before Garcia had the chance to mention the discomfort she was feeling, shaking Martha's hand. "I'm Emily, these are Derek and Penelope."

_Garcia,_  she wanted to say, but forced herself not to.

As much as she hated when people who weren't in her close circle of friends and family to refer to her by her first name, she also knew there was a time and place to be picky. And this was most certainly not it.

"Nice to finally put a face to the name," Morgan said as he shook Martha's hand.

"Likewise," Martha said. "Spencer always spoke very highly of you."

"Always?" Garcia found herself repeating. "And just how often did you meet him for you to know him so well?"

"Penelope…" Morgan sighed.

"No, it's okay," Martha immediately said. "I only met him a couple of times, to be honest, and not for very long. But he's the sort of person that makes you appreciate him after a very short time."

"We… usually get the opposite response from people," Prentiss said slowly.

"Well…" Martha shrugged. "Maybe they need to learn to appreciate knowledge."

There seemed to be a deeper meaning behind Martha's words, though none of them had the chance to question it any further as the woman spoke again.

"Shall we sit?" she asked. "I can only stay the night before I need to move to tge next town over."

"Tight schedule?" Morgan asked.

"You could say that," Martha replied with a small, tense smile. "And it only gets tighter as time goes on."

* * *

Later, when the survivors would find one another once more, they would discover a traitor in their midst – one of the Master's spies that was sent to gather information and was quick to notify the forces when Martha Jones set foot on the premises.

The Toclafane arrived first, bright lights shining through the dark night. In the mess that was created, Garcia and Morgan found themselves separated from Prentiss, who stuck close to Martha.

_"We can't talk for long,"_  Martha's voice said through the communication device Morgan held.  _"The devices might be corrupted – it would take the Master moments to get the right frequency."_

"You need to run," Morgan told them. "Prentiss, take her and get away."

"But –" Garcia started, only for a sharp look from Morgan to cut her off as he threw the device away.

"Without Martha Jones, none of us has any hope," he told her. "I don't want us to be apart any more than you do, but saving Martha has to be top priority."

"I can't lose Emily, too," Garcia said, shaking her head. "Not her, too, not after…"

_Not after JJ._

"I know, baby girl," Morgan sighed, taking her hand in his. "I know. But we have to do this."

Being locked as they were in the building, the two couldn't do anything but arm themselves and prepare themselves for the inevitable armed forces that were sure to arrive. They huddled next to a window on the first floor, shooting in the direction of the Master's soldiers and praying they didn't accidentally hit any of their allies in the darkness.

It was Garcia who first saw the car approaching and the man who walked out of it when it stopped, but the gasp that escaped her mouth quickly gathered Morgan's attention, as well. He raised his gun, ready to fire, only for Garcia's hand to stop him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Ending this," he replied. "One shot. Just one shot is all it would take to end this."

"No, it won't," Garcia said. "He's a Time Lord, which means he –"

The shot fired through the air, bringing everyone's attention to their hiding place. The bullet passed by the Master, not even grazing him, and within moments there were soldiers aiming guns at Morgan and Garcia and leading them forwards.

The Master's smile was as wide as a Cheshire Cat's.

"Well, well," he said. "Not quite Martha Jones, but I suppose you'll do."

Morgan pulled his arm out of the soldier's grip and aimed for a punch, only for the man himself to grab it midair and deliver one in return.

"Derek!"

Garcia tried to fight the soldiers that held her in place, only resulting in them holding her even tighter.

"Load them on the ship," the Master said, barely sparing the two of them a second glance. "I think it's due time the Professor had some more friends to play with."

* * *

Once upon the ship, the two profilers were unceremoniously pushed into a prison cell at the ship's bottom. Morgan immediately moved in front of Garcia, making sure she was physically all right before pulling her into a tight hug. She hugged him back, barely believing that they were both still alive.

They fell asleep in each other's arms.

It was a loud rattling that woke Garcia up and made Morgan jump up, ready to attack if needed. As soon as Garcia's mind caught up with the situation, she figured out that the noise was the Master banging against a cell's bars.

Not their cell, though. No, the Master seemed focused on the cell across from them, intent on waking its inhabitant. The figure in the cell – who Garcia didn't see until now – begrudgingly woke up, raising their head to look up at the Master.

"What now?" they croaked. "Can't a guy suffer quietly."

Garcia could feel Morgan freeze besides her, and was certain that she did the same.

"You never did anything quietly in your life and you know it," the Master smirked. "But look – we've got company."

As soon as his eyes met the two profilers', Spencer jumped up, his hands, looking nothing more than bones covered in skin, wrapping around the bars as his voice turned desperate.

"No," he said. "No, let them go. Please, let them go, Koschie… they didn't do anything."

"They very nearly did," the Master replied. "And they've been a nuisance for a long time, now. Agent Morgan," he said, looking away from Spencer but pulling a gun from his coat. "Would you be so kind as to come out quietly, or would our dear Professor find out how it feels like to get shot?"

Garcia's breath hitched, but Morgan remained stoic.

"You wouldn't," he said. "He's too important to you."

"Maybe," the Master replied, cocking his gun. "But I think he's got about half a dozen regenerations left in him until that becomes a problem. I should warn you, though, it hurts  _every time_."

"No," Spencer said. "Morgan, don't. I can – I can take it, please don't –"

Morgan closed his eyes for a moment, looking as though Spencer's words left a physical pain in him, before opening them again.

"Okay."

"No," Garcia found her words again as Morgan was pulled out of the cell. "No, leave him alone! Take me! Take me, instead!"

"So eager to save your own skin?" the Master asked, his words making both Spencer and Morgan freeze in shock and fear.

"No…" Morgan muttered. "No, Penelope –"

Garcia didn't have time to understand the meaning behind the Master's words or the fear etched into her teammates faces before three Toclafane materialized inside her cell.


	6. Morgan

Derek could hardly recognize the man sitting before him.

It was Spencer, of course. He  _knew_  it was Spencer, could even see it sometimes in the way he moved or talked. But other than those rare moments, it was as though Spencer was gone, and someone else –  _the Professor_  – had taken his place.

And of course Derek knew Spencer and the Professor were one and the same, but he also now understood that they weren't. Not completely.

Spencer Reid was a member of the BAU, a Profiler and an Agent. He was Derek's friend. And though the Professor was always a part of him, he was also a stranger, just as the members of the team were strangers to him.

The fact that Reid was suppressed and the Professor rose to surface was a prime example of a defense mechanism if Derek had ever seen one.

The man who now shared a cell with Derek may be many things, but he wasn't Spencer Reid.

"Here," he said as he handed Derek some leftover food from a plate that was next to his bed – if one can even call the small, half-broken cot a bed. "It's from earlier tonight but it should still be good."

"Thanks," Derek said quietly, taking the plate but not touching the food. Seeing Penelope murdered right before their eyes pretty much made him lose his appetite, however hungry he may have previously was.

"Eat," Spencer said, as though reading his mind. "You never know when's the next meal gonna be, and I doubt you've been eating properly lately."

Reluctantly, Derek reached out to the plate, gathering some of the beef and beans on the dry piece of bread and shoving it to his mouth unceremoniously. It was a good thing everything felt like cardboard in his mouth, as he wasn't sure the actual taste would have been better.

As he ate, he couldn't help but keep watching the man before him. His little ticks and quirks, the little thing that made him… not Spencer.

"I'm still me, you know." Derek jumped at the words, not looking away despite the awkwardness of being caught staring. "I'm still Spencer."

"Are you?" Derek asked. "Cause you don't act like him. Spencer would have reacted more to Garcia being…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"She's not the first person the Master murdered before my eyes," Spencer said. "And I very much doubt she'll be the last. Just because I don't react the way you expected doesn't make me different. It just means I've changed."

"Nobody changes that much that quickly."

"Really?" Spencer laughed, his voice lacking any sort of humor. Derek couldn't help but shiver at the sound – it seemed so wrong for it to come out of Spencer's mouth, with Spencer's voice. "And you've got so much experience in being held hostage by a psychopathic maniac in a post apocalyptic world, I'd presume?"

"No," Derek said simply. "I just know Spencer. And I don't know who you are, but you're not him."

"Oh, I am definitely Spencer," the man before him replied. "I'm just the parts of him you never saw. You have  _no idea_  what it's like up here. Maybe you'll learn and maybe the Master will just kill you, I honestly don't know," he said, not seeming as though the fact Derek might die bothered him all too much, "but don't pretend to understand what we've gone through – what  _I've_  gone through when you have no idea."

"I can imagine it was no worse than being down there," Derek bit out.

"Wasn't it?" Spencer questioned. "I'm not saying it was easy down there, but at least you weren't locked in a cage. You weren't being constantly watched by the Master, you'd know what's going on with the team, rather than just seeing them after they died. Did you know, the first month, the Master shot someone nearly every day? Not himself, no, he had other people to do that for him. But there are only so many times you can watch people get shot in the head before it starts to become white noise."

"It never becomes white noise," Derek said, shaking his head. "These are people, Spencer. We never stop caring about their deaths. That's what makes us different than the people we put behind bars."

"I don't know about you, but I didn't put anyone behind bars lately," Spencer said. "You don't get to judge me, Derek. Talk to me again in a week – If you'd still be here to do it."

* * *

Derek was there in a week, much to the surprise of the staff members who brought their meals. He was there in two weeks, too, and in a month, though by that point he was starting to hope he wasn't.

He wasn't sure when it was that he finally saw the man he shared a cell with truly was Spencer. It only made things worse, as it made him think what could have possibly happened to make him this way.

While Derek spent his days solely in the cell, Spencer was often called out. He never shared what he did, and Derek never asked – In fear of the answer he might receive. Some days he would come back with bruises. Some he looked as though the pain he was experiencing was emotional, rather than physical. Every few days he would only come back after Morgan had fallen asleep for the night, only waking up long after Derek did. Even in his sleep he looked so tired that Derek couldn't help but be worried.

It was after close to a month on the Valliant when Derek woke up in the middle of the night to hear odd noises in the cell. He wasn't particularly worried – Spencer didn't come back yet when he had given up waiting – but he still opened his eyes to try and see what the other profiler was doing.

As soon as he did, he wished he didn't.

"Reid," he said, his voice braking, "please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

Spencer didn't reply, only clutching the vial in his hand tighter, and that was all Derek needed in order to know.

Dilaudid. Spencer was using again.

"Reid…"

"Don't," Spencer said, his voice sounding more vulnerable than Derek heard since he arrived on the Valliant. "Please, don't. I…"

"How long?" Derek asked, his heart breaking at the pain that crossed Spencer's eyes.

"The night of the elections," he said. "Right after I called Emily. The Master… and I… I can't, I just can't…"

Derek had only heard Spencer that desperate once before, in the days following his abduction by Tobias Hankle, and he was now certain more than ever that he never wanted to hear it again. The Master wasn't just holding Spencer prisoner by chains and force and threats. He was holding him hostage to his addiction – an addiction he helped nurture.

"I'll kill him."

"You can't," Spencer replied, his voice shaking. "Even Martha can't. The only ones who can are the Doctor and I, and the Doctor never would. It has to be me."

"You?" Morgan repeated. "Spencer, you can hardly walk on your own –"

"I have a plan," Spencer said. "I already started weakening him. Soon, I'll be able to kill him, for good."

"How soon?" Morgan questioned.

"Not soon enough." Spencer took another shaky breath. "You can't try to do it yourself. He'll kill you."

"He'll kill me anyway."

"He will," Spencer acknowledged. "But it will be significantly more painful if you try something. Promise me," he all but begged. "Derek, I need you to promise me."

"You'll kill him?" Derek asked quietly. "Will you even be able to? He's your friend and… more."

"He hasn't been my friend in centuries," Spencer replied. "And he hasn't been…  _more_  even before. I'll kill him."

"Okay." Derek nodded once. "So I won't."

Three days later, when the guards came for Derek, he didn't fight them. Spencer did, but to no avail, and cried for hours before falling into a drug-induced sleep.


	7. Prentiss

If she was asked, Emily Prentiss wouldn't have been able to say when things turned sour. It could be on the day of the Decimation, when the Master killed a tenth of the world's population. Maybe it was the day he was elected as Prime Minister - or maybe even further back than that, when Spencer flew to England at his request.

Then, she couldn't understand why he would do such a thing, but now she knew enough to tell there were threats involved.

What she did know was when things turned  _worse_. The day the BAU team split up.

She knew where Hotch and Rossi were coming from. They had their own families to worry about, while she, Morgan and Garcia didn't. It still hurt, though, and she couldn't help but wonder what were they doing, and if they were okay.

The day Emily realized she had nothing left to lose was the day she first saw the Master. He stood, surrounded by soldiers, as Derek and Penelope were handed over to him.

Far as she was, she couldn't hear what was being said but it took everything she had, as well as Martha's hand holding her back, to stop herself from running towards them.

But she promised Morgan she'd keep Martha away from danger, and she was going to keep that promise. So she stopped herself from starting to fire her gun at the Master, and instead grabbed Martha's hand and ran as far as her legs could carry her - as far away from danger as she could.

She didn't delude herself as to the fate of her friends, but didn't seek out comfort either. But now, she had nothing left to lose, and as any member of the BAU could tell you, hopeless people were the most dangerous.

She started travelling with Martha, the two women going through what remained of North America before moving on to Asia. Starting into Russia, moving on to Mongolia and then China before reaching Korea. If Emily thought things were bad at the states, seeing these countries put matters into proportion.

Russia and even Mongolia managed quite well, being used to the isolation and hard living conditions, but the other countries... With all hell breaking loose on the streets, it was more than likely the most dangerous area on Earth - other than the Valiant itself.

Martha spoke to the people of the area in their native language, as she did in every other place they arrived to. She tried explaining it to Emily once, but it was lost on the profiler. Something about the TARDIS and a thing called a Translation Matrix.

For the most part, Emily just accepted it as it was and stood guard while Martha spoke to the locals, telling them the story of the Doctor.

She was amazed by the amount of faith the young woman had in the Time Lord. Emily never had that much faith in… anyone, really. No person, no celestial being. But Martha had full faith in the Doctor and his plan.

If only Emily could bring herself to believe there would ever be an end to this hell.

They were in Busan, a city to the south of South Korea, from which they planned to board a boat to Japan, when they were found.

"Martha!" Emily called out, barging in and disturbing the story the woman was telling. "They're here."

Martha immediately stood up, and even those who couldn't understand Emily's words now knew what she said, scrambling to their feet in an attempt to get as far away from the Master's troops as possible.

"Could we make it to the docks?" Martha asked.

"Maybe," Emily replied. "But we're gonna need a big distraction if we're gonna make it."

"We will help," said Ji Yoo, the local leader of the Resistance, her words heavily accented but determined nonetheless.

"Are you sure?" Martha asked. "It will cause you many losses."

"People die here every day," Ji Yoo replied. "This was, their deaths may at least have meaning."

Martha looked at Ji Yoo for a long moment before nodding.

"We'll go out through the back," Emily said. "The docks are about twenty minutes away, if we go at a good pace and make no stops."

"The boat awaits you there," Ji Yoo told them. "As is Hyun, my second. He will take you to Japan safely."

"Thank you," Martha said. "For everything you've done for us… and will be doing."

"Don't thank me," Ji Yoo said. "Get away safely, and bring that monster down."

"We will," Martha promised, and with that they were off.

The streets were crowded, filled with terrified people running away from the soldiers marching down the streets and shooting in every direction. Emily was able to point the exact moment the Resistance started firing back, as the yells of surprise were now in English, rather than Korean.

They ran. Through the crowds, through the bodies that fell to the floor, through the dirty ruins of a city whose streets were once beautiful. They ran until they couldn't breathe, and then kept on running.

As Emily learned in the weeks she was travelling with Martha, having your life in mortal danger sent a different kind of adrenaline trough her body – a kind she never experienced at her job at the BAU.

Not for the first time, she found herself wondering how could Spencer feel this addictive rush through his veins, then choose to settle down and have a relatively calm life here on Earth.

They almost reached the docks when it happened. Between the noises, the people and the soldiers, Emily found herself falling as something lodged itself into her thigh, sending a piercing pain through her.

"Emily!" Martha called out, pausing for a moment only for a rain of bullets to be aimed at them, one of them finding its way to Emily's arm and making her cry out in pain.

"G-Go!" she screamed, amazed at herself for being able to even manage words with the pain of two bullets inside her. "Go!"

Martha hesitated for a moment before swallowing hard and turning around. The soldiers reached Emily just as Martha disappeared from sight.

"It's her!" one of them said. "That means Jones is close by!"

The group split up to search for Martha, leaving no more than two soldiers with Emily. They pulled her up roughly, clearing her from any weapons she had on her person.

"Well?" Emily managed out, her voice shaking with pain. "Aren't you… going to kill… me?"

"Orders are for you to be taken in alive," the soldier said, a nasty smile forming on his lips. "Looks like the Master has special plans for you."

Even without knowing what she knew, and everything she had learned during the months since the Master's takeover the Earth, Emily would've known that being brought to him alive was a much worse fate than death.

"No…" she muttered, struggling in her captors' grip in an attempt to get away. Using her uninjured hand, she managed to get a good hit and get out of their grasp, only to fall down as soon as she attempted to step on her injured leg. "No… no! No!"

They cuffed her hands behind her back, making her cry out in pain. Looking around through her tear-filled eyes, she just barely managed to notice a familiar figure standing on a rooftop not too far away.

"Please…" she said, this time her words not aimed at her captors. "Please…"

Ji Yoo caught her gaze, and there was pain in the Korean's eyes as she saw the fear the American's one held. Emily saw her lips moving silently, though she could never guess what was being said, before Ji Yoo raised her gun, aiming it towards her.

A single shot was all it took for Emily Prentiss' body to fall to the ground, lifeless.


	8. The Doctor

"Citizens of Earth," the Master declared, "rejoice and observe."

The Doctor was reduced to nothing more than a tiny creature, all 900 years of his life showing. The Jones family huddled together, Jack was being held in place with the threat of guns aiming at him and Spencer avoided any and all eye contact as Martha was brought into the main flight deck of the Valliant.

One year and one day since the Master had taken over, and the Doctor watched his companion be caught just in time.

"Your teleport device," the Master ordered shortly, "in case you thought I'd forgotten." Her face unreadable, Martha threw her Vortex Manipulator towards the Master, who caught it easily. "And now, kneel."

Again, Martha did as she was told, an emotionless expression on her face. If he didn't know better, the Doctor would have been worried.

"Down below, the fleet is ready to launch," the Master said. "Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?"

_"The fleet awaits your signal,"_  a male voice said through the communication devices.  _"Rejoice!"_

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters," the Master said with a smile as a clock counting down appeared behind them. "Counting down. I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

_"We will fly and blaze and slice,"_  the Toclafane said in a sing-song voice.  _"We will fly and blaze and slice."_

"At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, will die," the Master said, aiming his laser screwdriver at her. "Any last words? No?" he sighed as Martha didn't respond to his taunts, turning to look at the Doctor. "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless."

The Doctor said nothing, knowing better at this point than to response to the Master when he was in a delicate mood.

"Bow your head," the Master said. Again, Martha obeyed. "And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward…" he trailed off as Martha started laughing before him, and even the Doctor couldn't conceal a smile. "What?" he asked. "What's so funny?"

"A gun," Martha said, referring to the false rumor they spread in order to keep the Master off their trail.

"What about it?" the Master asked, not catching on.

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it."

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world?" Martha questioned. "I mean, come on, did you really believe that?"

"What do you mean?"

"As if I would ask her to kill," the Doctor finally said, making the Master glance at him before dismissing their words.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter," the other Time Lord said. "I've got her exactly where I want her."

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha explained. "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here at the right time."

"Oh, but you're still going to die," the Master said.

"Don't you want to know what I was doing, travelling the world?" Martha asked.

"Tell me," the Master said, all but rolling his eyes.

"I told a story," Martha said, "that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope?" the Master asked, and the Doctor couldn't help but be amazed at his dismissal of everything they've told him so far. "Is that all?"

"No, because I gave them an instruction, just as the Doctor said." At that, Martha stood up, and the Doctor straightened in his cage, preparing for the moment. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time –"

"Nothing will happen," the Master huffed. "Is that your weapon?  _Prayer_?"

"Right across the world, in word, just one thought at one moment… but with fifteen satellites."

At last, the Master seemed surprised. "What?"

"The Archangel Network," Jack supplied.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time," Martha explained. "And that word… is Doctor."

The countdown reached zero and the Doctor could feel his power returning, a yellow glow so similar to that of a regeneration engulfing him, only much less painful than the process usually was.

"Stop it," the Master called out. "No, no, no, you don't."

"Doctor," said Jack, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Doctor," added Francine, her eyes closed as if she was praying.

"Doctor," countless people said all around the world, displayed on the monitors.

"Stop this right now. Stop it!"

"Doctor," Lucy breathed out in despair.

"Doctor," Martha said, every emotion she felt summed into a single word.

"Doctor," Spencer whispered, looking like it was painful for him to talk.

The energy that engulfed the Doctor quickly did its job, breaking the cage he was kept in and bringing him back to the body he was used to having.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," he said, floating in the air and moving closer and closer to the Master.

"I order you to stop!"

"The one thing you can't do," the Doctor said, feeling enormous pride on behalf of the human race. "Stop them thinking. Tell me the human race is degenerate now, when they can do this!"

"No!" the Master called out, trying to shoot at the Doctor, only for the energy to be absorbed in the shield around him. "Then I'll kill them!" the Master declared, aiming his screwdriver towards where everyone stood, only to pause as he saw it was now aimed directly at Spencer.

The moment of hesitation was all the Doctor needed to force the laser screwdriver out of the Master's hands.

"And you know what happens now," the Doctor went on, moving closer and closer to the Master despite the other Time Lord's protests. "You wouldn't listen, because you know what I'm going to say."

"No…"

The Master was curled into a ball when the Doctor finally landed next to him, crouching down and forcing him into a hug.

"I forgive you."


	9. Spencer

Spencer felt like he was going to be sick.

The Doctor  _forgave_  him? After everything that he'd done, after all of the pain he caused, all of the people he had killed, the Master deserved no forgiveness, in Spencer's eyes.

_"Protect the paradox,"_  the Toclafane called out.  _"Protect the paradox. Protect the paradox."_

"Captain," the Doctor said, looking up from where he was crouched next to the Master, "the paradox machine!"

"You men, with me!" Jack immediately said, pointing at a group of men and leading them out of the room.

The Master used the moment of distraction to make a grab at the Vortex Manipulator, causing the Doctor to reach towards him.

"No!"

As the Doctor and the Master disappeared Spencer looked around, feeling as though he was not a part of what was going on, but an observer.

"We've all six billion spheres heading right for us," Martha was saying, and the people were trying to figure out how to arm themselves in defence.

Spencer could feel right to his very core when the Paradox Machine was broken and time started reverting back, making his head spin with the sensation as he fell to the floor, the entire Valliant shaking. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to keep what little food was in his stomach inside.

When he opened them, the shaking stopped and he saw the Doctor and the Master close by.

"The paradox is broken," the Doctor said, standing up and checking the machinery on the ship's deck. "We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning."

_"This is UNIT Central,"_  a voice said through the speakers.  _"What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated."_

"Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived," the Doctor went on. "Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was."

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped at the end of the universe."

"But I can remember it," Francine whispered, shocked.

"We're at the eye of the storm," the Doctor explained. "The only ones who'll ever know. Oh, hello. You must be Mister Jones," he said, turning to Clive. "We haven't actually met."

Spencer saw from the corner of his eye as the Master attempted to escape, but the warning died before he could voice it out loud as Jack walked through the door, catching him just in time.

"Whoa, big fella!" he said, grabbing the Master and cuffing his arms behind his back. "You don't want to miss the party. So," he added once the Time Lord was properly secure, "what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him," Clive said, no hesitation in his voice.

"We execute him," Tish added, her entire body shaking.

"No," the Doctor quickly said, "that's not the solution."

"Oh, I think so," Francine said, and all heads turned to look at the gun she was aiming at the Master. "Because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."

"Go on," the Master encouraged, seeming crazier by the moment. "Do it."

"Francine, you're better than him," the Doctor insisted, nearing the distraught woman slowly and eventually succeeding in making her drop the gun.

"You still haven't answered the question," the Master said. "What happens to me?"

"You're my responsibility from now on," the Doctor said. "Mine and…" There was a short pause, and a quick glance towards Spencer, who was picking something off the floor, and he spoke again. "The only Time Lords left in existence."

"Yeah, but you can't trust him," Jack said.

"No," the Doctor agreed. "The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."

"You mean you're just going to… keep me?" the Master asked, sounding disgusted.

"If that's what I have to do," the Doctor sighed. "It's time to change. Maybe I've been wandering for too long. Now I've got someone to care for."

The gunshot echoed in the small space, making it sound much louder than Spencer knew it to be. His years of weapon training for the BAU must have meant something, as the shit hit the Master in the middle of the chest.

Securing the gun, he let it drop to the floor, tears streaming from his eyes as the Doctor caught the Master before he hit the ground.

"There you go," the Doctor said. "I've got you. I've got you."

"Professor," the Master breathed out. "Really should have seen that one coming, eh?"

Jack moved from where he stood next to the Doctor and closer to Spencer, holding his arm. There was no need, Spencer knew. He wasn't going to try to escape, nor was he going to try to attack anyone else.

It wasn't an accident, or a spur of the moment sort of thing. This was a planned-out, first degree murder.

"Dying in your arms," the Master said, turning to look at the Doctor. "Happy now?"

"You're not dying," the Doctor said, tears streaming from his eyes and his voice shaking. "Don't be stupid. It's only a bullet. Just regenerate."

"I…"

"He can't," Spencer said, his voice erringly even considering the situation.

"What?" the Doctor asked, turning to look at him. "No, of course he can. It's one little bullet. Come on."

The Master laughed weakly. "Dilaudid," he breathed out. "That's it, isn't it?"

Spencer nodded slowly. "I added it to your meals in the past six months. Not too much, so that you wouldn't notice, but more and more every time." He looked at his former lover in the eyes as he said, "Enough to inhibit regenerative abilities."

"No," the Doctor said, looking between Spencer and the Master. "No, Spencer, tell me you didn't…"

"He deserved it," Spencer said. "He deserved worse. You didn't see what he did to them… what he did to my team."

"So in return, you kill me." The Master smiled, a hint of red on his teeth from the blood in his mouth. "Oh, Professor… I couldn't be prouder."

"No!" the Doctor called out, refusing to believe. "No! Regenerate! Regenerate!"

"Will it stop, Doctor?" the Master questioned. "The drumming… will it stop?"

As the Master closed his eyes one last time and the Doctor cried out in anguish, Spencer felt a single tear marking a trail down his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was already written when I started posting "The Year That Never Was" but... Llanea, for you.


	10. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we're reaching the end of the year that never was. As always, I don't know when I'll post next, but I'll try to make it as soon as I can.

UNIT took him in for questioning, as soon as the Valliant touched ground. He was led away in cuffs, not trying to protest and avoiding the Doctor's eyes that were following him walk away.

He wouldn't say a word to Spencer as they waited for the Valliant to be guided down. Spencer didn't try to start a conversation, either, but the Doctor refused to acknowledge his presence.

_Hypocrite_ , Spencer thought. From the look the Doctor sent his way, he accidently projected the thought towards the other Time Lord, but he couldn't care less.

After everything the Master had done, the Doctor still managed to find it in him to forgive him, in the end. All Spencer did was kill the Master, but that apparently was too much for the Doctor.

_Hypocrite._

UNIT took him to a secure holding cell, where they started questioning him about everything that happened during the year that had passed and before. He cooperated perfectly, answering each and every question they presented before him, and even supplying information on his own.

In a little over two hours, he had told them everything that had happened since the Master forced himself back into his life a year and a half ago.

"Was the killing of the Master an accident on your behalf?" his questioner, a woman named Kate Stewart, asked.

"No," Spencer replied. "I knew exactly what would happen when I shot the Master, and used my training to make sure the bullet hit where I wanted it to."

"Would you say it was a crime of opportunity?"

"Not really," Spencer told her. "I mean, I used the opportunity of the gun next to me to shoot him, but it could have been a knife if that was what it was. I planned to kill the Master anyway," he went on to explain. "After all, I spent a few good months slowly poisoning him."

Kate nodded, writing down a few more notes in her notebook before standing up.

"I'll have to discuss this information with my superiors," she said. "In the meanwhile, is there anything you want?"

"A glass of water would be nice," Spencer said. "My throat's starting to get sore. And, also, if I could have something to restrain myself, in case I need to."

"Restrain yourself?" Kate repeated. "What for?"

"Well, the rehab symptoms should start showing up any minute now, and I don't want to accidently hurt myself. Dilaudid," he explained at her questioning look. "I only had any to give the Master because he kept giving it to me."

Kate hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I'll make sure to ask them to restrain you for the duration of rehab," she said. "They'll make sure you're kept hydrated and that you don't accidently hurt yourself."

"Thank you," Spencer said in a voice so calm Kate could have mistaken him for a psychopath, if she didn't know better.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Spencer was kept in the UNIT holding facility for four days, until they were certain all remains of Dilaudid were gone from his system. On the morning of the fifth day, Kate walked into his cell and freed him of the handcuffs that kept him in place.

"What now?" he asked her.

"Now, you go back to America," she replied. "There's gonna be a ban for travel outside of the United States for the next month or so, but that should be it."

Spencer gave her a long, assessing look. "You're joking," he finally concluded.

"I can assure you that I'm not," Kate replied. "As far as the public will ever be aware of, you're an FBI agent who happened to be upon the Valliant when the President was assassinated, and was quick to neutralize the threat. In this case, the Prime Minister who turned out to be insane."

"That's a lie," Spencer accused.

"Most of the things the public thinks are lies,  _Professor_ ," Kate said, making sure to put extra emphasis on his Time Lord Title, rather than the name he actually used nowadays. "Just take it as it is. You'll be hailed as a hero back in the States."

"I'm a murderer."

"Yes," Kate agreed. "A murderer who was under heavy drug influence when he killed, and one who had killed the person who spent the better part of two years torturing him. I don't know about you," she said, "but I encountered worse murderers than that who had walked free. I think you deserve it, too."

"I don't," Spencer whispered. "I don't think that I do."

"Well…" Kate sighed. "Then I guess it's a good thing you're not the one to decide. Your flight will leave in six hours, and you will have to remain under watch during that time. Luckily," she added before Spencer could reply, "we have just the man to escort you."

As if summoned by her words, the door at the end of the cell hall opened to reveal no other than Captain Jack Harkness.

* * *

"Lucy had been sentenced for five years in prison for her part in the Master's take over the Earth," Jack filled him in as they sat down for lunch at a Costa Coffee just outside the airport Spencer's flight was due to depart from. "And the Jones family was cleared from all charges placed against them by the Master."

"What about the Doctor?" Spencer asked, all but inhaling his third sandwich so far.

One of the Dilaudid side effects was a lack of appetite. Now that he was finally clean from the drug again, his body felt the need to bring back everything that was lost during the year upon the Valliant. After all, Spencer was skinny as it was even without being half-starved.

"He's… not in a good shape," Jack said, a slight hesitation to his voice as he spoke. "He lit a pyre for the Master's body last night, and insisted on going alone. When he came back, he refused to talk about it, but… it's pretty clear he can't bear the thought of you at the moment."

"Hypocrite."

"In all fairness, you killed the only other of your kind," Jack tried to defend the Doctor.

"The Master did worse and the Doctor forgave him," Spencer said. "And the Doctor did worse, and  _I_  forgave him. At least I only killed one of our kind, and not all of them."

"That doesn't seem very fair –"

"Life's not fair," Spencer said shortly, finishing his sandwich and standing up to buy another. Jack waited silently at the table for him to return, only for Spencer to stop by him, rather than sit down. "Check-in's open for my flight," he said. "Do you need to escort me back to the States?"

"This is as far as I need to go," Jack said, shaking his head. "It's just for show, this whole escorting thing, you know. They don't actually consider you a threat."

"They should," was Spencer's reply. "I may not be as insane as the Master, but I'm not as naïve as the Doctor, either."

"Wouldn't be you if you were," Jack told him with a small smile. "Mind if I drop by to visit some time?"

"No problem," Spencer said. "Just try to give me a head's up, alright?"

"I make no promises!"

Spencer forced back a smile as he turned around, only for Jack to grab his arm and pull him into a tight hug.

"Take care, will you?" the immortal man asked. "And, if you ever need someone to talk to…"

"Thanks," Spencer said, returning the hug briefly before pulling back. "Keep safe."

Jack mock-saluted and this time, Spencer couldn't hold back his smile as he turned around and headed to the plane that will finally take him home.


End file.
